Halcyon Days
by BittersweetSonata
Summary: They first met in a coffee shop. The second time was on an escalator. The third time was - wait. Was he stalking her? His smile was really disarming, you know. - series of interconnected drabbles devoted to NaLu
1. Chapter 1

** This seemed like a fun thing to do, so I'm doing it now. **

** I _need _caffeine to keep me going today. But I'm not actually supposed to have much of it due to some kind of special condition I have. (Do you even realize how hard that is when you're studying and falling asleep but you can't do anything about it?) **

** Summary: She's just ready to have her coffee, not to flirt or anything like that. But he seems to think otherwise. **

** Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

* * *

_{You're just doing your own thing and someone comes out of the blue}_

Lucy crosses her arms and taps her foot impatiently. She's been here, waiting in line for almost an hour. She just wants coffee, that's all she asks.

But no.

This man ahead of her just can't make up his mind, and she thinks she's starting to go insane. She _needs _that caffeine to keep her body moving, because it's only like, eight in the morning and she was up late last night and she has a shift that lasts until ten and _what the hell is taking this man so long_?!

The blonde's right palm meets with her forehead as she sighs in frustration.

She is _so _going to need a bigger size than the one she first intended to buy.

Several people have just given up and left in the forty-five minutes she's been here. But not Lucy. No, no, she just _had _to have that cup of the good stuff to keep her functioning properly throughout the long day she had ahead of her. Besides, she'd waited in line for so long already, she might as well stay until she gets what she came for.

It's ridiculous, she thinks to herself as she watches the man try and decide what he wants. It seems he can't decide whether to get an iced coffee or a decaf Caffe Misto. She wants to cry, because only five minutes earlier it had been a 'sure choice' between a Chai latte and a White Mocha. And so help her she is ready to scream and maybe even just tell him to choose one and _she'll _buy the other.

And that's really something, because she's been told she's a cheap-skate when it comes to money. Psh, she just likes to keep it where she can see it, is all.

But then, he decides on the iced coffee which was what he'd first chosen almost half an hour ago (and she _really _wants to scream now), and soon it's her turn.

She knows just what she wants and needs this morning. She'd already made up her mind about five minutes into her wait.

"Caramel Macchiato, make it a large, please." she places her order, doing her best to suppress a yawn.

She probably shouldn't have read that whole book last night, seeing as how it kept her up until one this morning, and her usual alarm went off at six. But Levy had said it was _so good _(and it really had been, honestly worth the read) and when she picked it up she hadn't been able to put it down.

"Sorry," the pink-headed employee behind the counter breaks her out of her thoughts – wait, _pink_? – and she notices that he stops ringing her up, "did you mean venti?"

Lucy feels as of the world is just totally against her today. She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "Can we…can we _not _do this today?" she pleads, wishing that he'll just go with it, _okay. _

He smiles at her, and she swears he looks amused (the bastard, enjoying her misery). "Can I get your name?"

She stops short because, _whoa buddy, let's slow down here a minute, _before she realizes he needs it for her order. She opens her mouth, and it's like he can tell what she was thinking because his grin widens and she mentally cusses him out.

"Lucy." she all but spits, before turning and walking away to let the next person order.

And when he calls her name, shivers definitely do _not _run down her spine at the way it rolls off his tongue. She grabs the cup off the counter and walks out of the shop toward her car.

She looks down, preparing to take a sip, when she notices it. It makes her raise a brow, because, _dude, what the hell? _She slowly slides her thumb over, revealing more of the wording that has suspiciously been crossed out with a sharpie (his handwriting was absolutely _terrible_), and her jaw drops.

Because there, on the bottom side of the cup, where it warns you about the intense heat of your drink, he's crossed out several words so it now reads, 'Careful, you're looking extremely hot today.'

And then on the cup cover what she assumes is his phone number is written beside her name.

She scowls as she climbs into her car to drive to work for her long shift – granted, it's just at Barnes & Noble, but still – because _that bastard, having the audacity to do such a thing. _

Then she snorts as she takes a sip of her caffeinated drink and puts the car into drive because she remembers his _rosy pink hair_, and that's definitely just not normal.

.

(But secretly she's not really that angry with him.)

.

And there's a smile on her face.

* * *

** Keep it under a thousand words, Sonata. **

** But seriously, do you even realize how hard that is when I'm such a stickler for details? **

** Less is more, I tell myself. **

** Starbucks and Barnes & Noble, two of my favorite places in the world. (That I can actually go to.) **

** Ja ne, **

** Sonata. **


	2. Chapter 2

_{Though you try to tell me that you never loved me,_

_I know that you did} _

She rolls her eyes as she stands in line. It's a long line, like, really. She had just decided to do some last minute Christmas shopping, that was all – well, and maybe also catch the second showing of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but whatever.

Seriously, she has three people – _three people _– left on her list and she'd already been here for almost two and a half hours.

Why?

Because of so many other people. This was exactly why she did all her Christmas shopping earlier in the year. Around this time of the year, the malls were packed with procrastinators and other last-minute shoppers and you had to fight your way through crowds and stand in long lines and if you saw something you liked then you'd better grab it because it wouldn't be there five minutes later.

The joys of Christmas shopping.

Perhaps she should consider Internet shopping, instead.

Honestly, she loves the holidays, she really does. But right now, she feels like Scrooge or the Grinch.

The blonde sighs and steps forward and onto the escalator which she had been waiting for. She wouldn't even have to be here if she knew what to get Levy's boyfriend – and admittedly, her friend – Gajeel. The same went for Erza Scarlet and Juvia Lockser.

She had ordered a strawberry cake for Erza from a nearby bakery, but she's still at a loss for the other two.

Lucy takes a deep breath as she thinks. Gajeel, what does Gajeel like? Heavy metal, metal in general, Levy, the color black.

"Hey!"

She ignores the voice because she doesn't think he's calling out to her.

"Hey Luigi!"

Yeah, definitely not her.

"Hello?!"

Suddenly there's a hand on her shoulder, and she turns around –

And it's _that guy_ from Starbucks.

There's holiday music blasting from speakers in the background as he gives her a heartwarming grin. "Hey, you never called me." he accuses.

Lucy suddenly realizes that, yes, he had been calling out to her. She gapes at him for a few seconds before whacking him over the head with a fingerless-gloved hand. "Hey, stupid! My name is Lucy! Not Luigi! L-U-C-Y!"

He grins sheepishly at her and rubs the sore spot on the back of his head. She's staring at his pink hair, maybe just a little bit amused.

"So, _Lucy_," he gets it right this time, "what're you doing here?"

She suddenly remembers her mission and sighs heavily. "Christmas shopping, for my best friend's boyfriend and another friend from college."

He nods. She stares. He stares back. They've almost reached the second floor of the mall, her destination.

"So," she prompts, tired of waiting, "what are _you _doing here?"

It looks like a light bulb goes off in his head and he grins again, and _no_, there are _not _butterflies in her stomach. "Oh, yeah! I'm Christmas shopping too!"

She stares at him dubiously. "You?"

He seems insulted, and his pink brows furrow. "Yeah, me."

"If you say so."

He rolls his eyes, and sticks his tongue out at her in a childish manner. "And don't you look just _thrilled _about Christmas today."

She narrows her eyes at him. "For your information, I happen to _love _Christmas. Shopping for my best friend's boyfriend – who, I might add, isn't really into anything that I am – isn't exactly my favorite thing to do though, no."

The pink-haired guy smirks at her. "I see." then, he smiles. "You shouldn't let it spoil your holidays, though."

"Really." she replies sarcastically, and before she can stop herself. "Well," she begins, "I _was _planning on catching The Amazing Spider-Man 2, if you really must know. But," she gestures to the mall around them, "I have to finish my shopping first."

He seems to light up. "Really?! I was going to go to that too! Most of the girls I know would rather watch some romance-y, mushy gushy movie."

Lucy raises a brow. "You sound like a child."

He grins at her. "We should go together!"

She's taken aback for a minute or so, mostly because part of her _wants _to go with him. "But I just met you like, three weeks ago! We're practically strangers!"

He grins at her as starts to walk away and toward Sears, because they've been off the escalator for a while now. She watches him go, jaw slack and eyes shining with disbelief. After he's made it about three hundred feet away from her, he turns back to her, grinning widely.

"The name's Natsu! See you at seven, Lucy! Don't be late, we wanna get good seats!"

Then, he blends with the crowd, but she can still see some of his pink hair.

She sighs to herself, but there's a small smile on her face as she heads toward American Eagle, deciding to shop for Juvia first.

.

(And she doesn't feel so blue anymore.)

.

All thanks to that weird guy.

She hurries, because she doesn't want to be late.

* * *

**I had fun with this one. Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews! **

**Ja ne. **

**- Sonata-chan **


	3. Chapter 3

**summary: **She's feeling kind of glum - again - and he suddenly shows up to bring her holiday cheer, and spiked eggnog. Stalker.

**notes: **I have never had eggnog or vodka, but I've heard about them. Ick.

**thanks to: **All those who have reviewed, followed this series, and added it to their favorites.

**apology: **Sorry I haven't updated this in a few weeks, I wanted to see what all the commotion was about Shingeki no Kyojin, and I was not disappointed. I have been sucked in, and I don't think there's any escape. Forget that, Eren x Mikasa is like my new OTP - you know, besides NaLu, or course. Always NaLu.

**other: **I've been having trouble with something else as well. I'm planning on writing a Naruto fanfic, but I can't decide who I ship Sakura with more. Naruto, Sasuke, hell, even _Kiba. _My troubles are stupid and inconsequential to this story though, so read on!

* * *

_{And it's you and me, and all of the people} _

Lucy likes Christmas. It is easily one of her favorite holidays, and so it's not surprising how enthusiastic she is about it. But she is still Lucy, and she is still one of a kind.

She thinks this to herself as she sits in a darker corner of the large room. There are people – _lots of people _– mulling about her. Talking, laughing, drinking eggnog and just generally having themselves a merry happy holiday.

There are several people she knows, but there are also many people she doesn't. She's a very amiable person, she thinks to herself, albeit rather glumly. She's really friendly, but right now she is feeling so down and very un-Christmas-y-like. Again.

This was the season for smiles, laughter, good will and love to all, kissing under the mistletoe, of perpetual giving. She loves holidays like this! Her friends are all happy, dancing or talking. Levy is off with Gajeel (she doesn't want to admit that she likes him), Juvia is fawning over some guy she'd never seen before now – but she looks so happy doing it, Erza and Jellal are dancing and he's twirling her and it makes the blonde smile at her friends' happiness.

Lucy stares down at her barely touched mug of eggnog. It's spiked, she knows, and she doesn't normally drink, but well…she is feeling the Christmas blues right now.

Was this what Elvis sang about?

"Well don't you look like the epitome of merriness and all that is joyful?"

She lets out an involuntary shriek and jumps, almost sloshing her eggnog in her surprise. The blonde looks up to see a familiar grin. It's wide and shining brilliantly in her Christmas lights lit corner.

Lucy scoffs. "Are you sure you know what 'epitome' even means?"

Natsu laughs and her stomach definitely does _not _do some weird flippy thing. "I have a dictionary, thanks." he takes a seat beside her. "So, why so glum, sugarplum?"

"Oh _wow._" she remarks sarcastically, but she is also kind of amused and maybe just a bit embarrassed - psh, yeah, that's it, she's not actually pleased or anything. "You are so original, Shakespeare."

He smirks. "I try."

She rolls her eyes but shrugs, heaving a sigh. "I don't really know. It's just, all my friends look really happy – don't get me wrong, I'm really glad that they're happy and everything – but I don't really have anyone to spend my holiday with."

Natsu nods sympathetically. "I understand."

Lucy purposely rolls her wrist, causing her eggnog to slosh around in her mug. "My family isn't really much of a family anymore – so that's shot. It's a long story and I'm not really going to get into that, you know, for the sake of saving any of that hard-to-come-by Christmas cheer that may be left in me. It's just that my mother passed away when I was younger, and my dad…well, he isn't really much of a dad." she finished her mini-spiel, feeling quite stupid. She's almost positive Natsu will get up and leave her, but he doesn't. Instead, he responds with,

"Well, you're halfway to becoming Batman."

She chokes on her spit and stares at him incredulously. "W – wha?" is her intelligent response.

He is smiling – not grinning now – and it's a sweet, slow smile. If you can call a smile slow, pssht. Whatever. It is slow, and understanding. So maybe he gets it, huh?

Lucy ducks her head because for some peculiar reason, she is now blushing. And there's a stupid smile spreading across her face. Ugh, this guy.

_This guy. _

"Wait, wait –," she looks back up at him, chocolate eyes narrowing, "you're here."

Natsu blinks. "I am."

"No, no, no." she waves a hand. "You're _here._"

He raises a brow, and there's an amused smile playing on his lips. Damn him. "Yeah, glad you noticed, I guess. Jeez, you're weird, Luce."

Luce? _Luce? LUCE? _

So he's doing that petname thing now, huh. Cheeky bastard. And she is certainly _not _weird.

"Are you stalking me?"

Seriously, like, how did he know she was here? That is just _weird. _

Natsu gapes at her for approximately twenty-three seconds. She times it. "_What?! No!_" he crosses his arms and slouches in his seat. "I was invited to this party, thank you. By the host, if you really gotta know."

Ah, there went his literate-ness, in all of its probably unused glory.

"You know Cana?" Lucy asks in surprise.

"Duh I know Cana. We've been friend since, like, the third grade." he smirks, although there is a hint of exasperation in his tone as he says, "She wasn't a drunkard back then." he turns back to her. "Speaking of, have you tried the eggnog?"

Lucy stares down at her mug, then at his. "No. I'm not entirely sure it's safe. You know, it's Christmas Eve and I don't really wish to have a nasty hangover on my favorite holiday of the year."

Natsu laughs, then shrugs. "I'll try it if you try it."

"Okay." she agrees, quickly adding, "But you have to go first."

He smiles and then takes a gulp. A _gulp. _Like they're at a bar and he's having a drinking contest and somebody yells "Chug! Chug! Chug!"; she can't believe what she's seeing.

"'S'not so bad." he informs her, with a serious face, and there is sincerity in his tone.

Lucy decides to take his word for it, and takes a sip. A _sip, _because she is well-mannered and a lady.

She soon realizes it was a terrible mistake to trust the man beside her, because the next thing she knows, she's coughing and sputtering and _holy shit _the stuff tastes like straight on _vodka. _She pounds on her chest, trying to get her breathing under control so she doesn't hyperventilate.

She's pretty sure vodka isn't even what you put in eggnog.

Natsu's raucous laughter draws her eyes toward him, and he's grinning at her like an idiot. _Oh no, _she thinks, _I will not let him pull one over on me. _

"I-it's good. It's g-good." she 'reassures', but doesn't take another sip of it the rest of the night.

She's blushing, she can tell - partly because of the alcohol, and partly because of the man beside her.

His dark eyes are sparkling, and the colored lights around them cast a weird glow on his hair, causing it to appear purple instead of salmon pink. His grin is wide, and his laugh is deep, and she can't help but think that if she had to choose between spending her Christmas Eve with her stuffy father or this guy, she'd _always _choose this guy.

Even though this is technically only the third time she's met him.

.

.

(She definitely doesn't wish to find herself under the mistletoe with him, _nuh uh. No way. _And she is so _not _disappointed when she leaves the party, with cherry gloss-coated lips unkissed. Nope.)

* * *

**end notes: **This didn't exactly turn out how I wanted it. Oh well. It was also longer than 1,000 words. I was frustrated with myself, but oh well. This was also supposed to be posted _Friday_, and I _did _post it Friday, but ffnet is having a midlife crisis or something because _it did not update. _

**appeal: **Please, send in your prompts. I like working with prompts. So, really, send them in. PM me, mention them in your review, whatever.

**last call: **I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


	4. Chapter 4

**notes: **I am back! Bet you're glad to see me. I've been _super busy __okay. _

**summary: **She's pretty sure she spends 56.7% of her life waiting in line, and he's just like, _there _54.2% of that time.

**thoughts: **How 'bout you guys send in lots of prompts because I can't keep this up forever on my own, 'kay? Pretty please?

* * *

Lucy finds herself waiting in extremely long lines more than she should. Of course, she wouldn't even be here right now if her stupid driver's license hadn't expired on her. That is something essential and mandatory in her life and she cannot go without it.

Which is why she's waiting in line at Magnolia's DMV, trying to avoid the guy behind her who is obviously sick and coughing and sneezing all over the place.

Another thing that Lucy cannot live without is money. Money pays the bills, pays the rent (because her landlady is super uncool and greedy so she overcharges), and buys food. Lucy needs her lights and electricity, she needs her apartment – which she is _this close _to buying so fuck her life if she can't because she isn't able to get to work because she can't drive without a license, and she needs food.

Hell yeah she needs food. She isn't about to become anorexic. Like, that just totally isn't her style.

So basically, her life revolves around her license. It goes something like this:

No driver's license equals no way to get to work. No way to get to work equals to no money. No money equals no rent, no food, which equals a homeless and starving Lucy.

Yeah, so, she could probably just move in with Levy or something until she finds another job, but she _likes _working at Barnes & Noble so no.

She doesn't want to be twenty-one, unemployed, and living out of the back of her car or bumming at her best friend's place. She has dreams, wishes, aspirations, dammit!

Lucy taps her foot impatiently and almost screeches like an angry velociraptor when someone almost steps on her pink Chuck Taylor high tops. Because they are almost as precious as human life, and if that insolent fool dares to destroy her beautiful shoes, she will just take their life instead.

It's only fair.

Okay, so maybe she's just really on edge right now because it's not like she'd ever really _kill _anyone over _shoes _let alone at all so that's that. But still. She raises her head to see what moron would _dare _scuff up her perfect high tops and – _it's Natsu. _

_Of fucking course it's that guy._

He gives her this big, shit-eating grin and what even. She is so not in the mood to deal with this guy right now.

"Hey Luce, didn't expect to see you here!" he greets, all sunshine smiles and face-splitting grins.

She gives a half-hearted wave, because hey. At least _he's _happy. "Hi Natsu."

Her tone is deadpan and she is glad because his brows furrow and he runs a hand through his _perfect perfect perfect _salmon pink hair. It's so tousled and beyond help already, but the action makes her smile.

"Something wrong, Lucy?"

Is that…_worry _she detects in his voice?

_What even. _

She sighs and waves a hand. "No, nope. Nothing at all. I just really need my license is all. And I had to waste my only day off this week to come and get it."

Natsu looks a little relieved, and her mind is screaming _what the hell, what the hell, what the hell?! _"Oh, okay. I'm here for the same reason."

Wait, what?

Lucy blinks repeatedly. She's never imagined Natsu driving before. Huh. How on earth did she think he got to work every day? Or to the mall? Like, what even Lucy?

Her perfect brows furrow as she gets lost in her thoughts – ones of Natsu driving a car. He's a guy, of course, so he probably has something that's classy and super cool. (She forgets for a second that, first of all, the guy works at Starbucks and probably lives on minimum wage like herself, and secondly that this is _Natsu _she is thinking of.) She imagines him leaning over the open hood of some classic and extremely sexy car, shirtless.

The Natsu in her mind has a killer six-pack and his biceps are so toned and the more she imagines him the more her cheeks heat up.

"Next!"

Something poking her arm brings her out of her mini-fantasy, and she blinks, embarrassed. She can _feel _her face burning and WHAT THE HELL LUCY?! DON'T JUST GO IMAGINING HOT GUYS THAT YOU BARELY EVEN KNOW SHIRTLESS!

"Hey, Luce. You're up next."

She blinks at Natsu's words and shakes her head, clearing her mind of any impure thoughts before stomping up to the counter. She's getting this shit done so she can go home and watch like, a marathon of Psych. Totally.

.

.

.

(However, those thoughts of a shirtless Natsu still linger in the recesses of her mind, and she finds herself dreaming of him later that night.)

* * *

**end notes: **Hahaha. DMVs suck man. Like really. All those long lines and _people. _

**p.s. **Thanks for all those reviews, guys. How about you keep 'em coming, yeah? Cupcakes for you all (who review, anyway).


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